After 1 year do you give cows milk, or just continue to nurse? I am planning to let DD self wean, but Im confused about this. Is there any reason to or Not to give cows milk is shes still nursing a lot? Do you wait till shes weaned to offer cows milk? how do you work this? thanks in advance

There is never any reason to serve cow's milk.
DS drinks water or watered down juice at meals, but I prefer water. Juice is mostly empty sugar calories. Although, OJ is my preference if I do serve juice.

A child who drinks too much cow's milk may be susceptible to anemia, bc the milk proteins make it harder for the child to absorb iron. Also, cow's milk proteins are much harder to digest, and can cause all sorts of GI and allergic problems in some children. My DS will not sleep well at night if he eats an ice cream cone bc of the gas.

I think it's extremely important for a child to learn to appreciate and love the taste of water, which is the #1 most important beverage a human can drink (outside of breastmilk, which may be consumed for many years by a child). There are enough opportunities for a child to get sweet flavors elsewhere, and juice does not really add much to a child's nutrition.

My kids will drink it after 1 year, but for us it is just another food/drink item to introduce. I don't think bf kids have to have milk for good nutrition and growth. I think that is the prevailing attitude, however, since I see so many young children with the ever-present sippy cup of milk.

We introduced cow's milk with DD around 15 months. She'd have a few sips once in a while. Started "pushing" it more after she turned two, I was pg, and my supply plummetted (also did soy). She is also veggitarian, so for *us* it was a good source of fat and protein.

With DS we waited longer to introduce it and now, at 40 months, he probably drinks a few ounces daily (many days none, some days he will have a glass or two).

Are you familiar with Kellymom? I believe there is a page devoted to cow's milk info there.

We do not plan to give our DD cow's milk at all while she still nurses and it will not be a major part of her diet after she weans. I've just read too much about the poor absorbtion of the calcuim and vitamins from cow's milk. There are so many other foods that contrain them, it is better to have a well-balanced and healthy diet and get the vitamins and nutrients the way nature intended.

After 1 year do you give cows milk, or just continue to nurse? I am planning to let DD self wean, but Im confused about this. Is there any reason to or Not to give cows milk is shes still nursing a lot? Do you wait till shes weaned to offer cows milk? how do you work this? thanks in advance

Cows' milk is for cows. Jordan gets ONLY mommyjuice. If she weans before 2 years, I'll continue to pump and use my freezer stash until at least then. Even when she has cerial, I use breast milk. I even put it in her mashed potatos and mac and cheese.

My DS (16 months) gets rice milk at meals and in between nursing if he's thristy. I've never given him straight cow's milk....only foods made with it, and he is sensitive to too much.....so no cow's milk until he weans or probably until he can handle it (maybe never?).

DD and I are vegetarians (dd is semi-vegetarian, she eats chicken maybe once every 2 months or so) and we do not drink cow's milk. We do eat cheese and yogurt but too much of any dairy product gives dd constipation really bad. The dairy industry (and common folklore) wants people to believe that cow's milk is necessary for good health, but they are wrong. There are so many other ways to get calcium in a much healthier way (green leafy veggies for one, fortified OJ for another---though fortification is debatable).

Water is the #1 drink.

I like to remind people of what mother cows go through to produce the nation's supply of milk. It is absolute torture. And we are drinking all the hormones pumped through their bodies so they'll overproduce. If I have time to dig up a link, I'll post it (or anyone else here please feel free). The only reason to drink milk regularly is to fill the pockets of the dairy industry. If you have to drink cows milk, at least drink organic hormone-free cow's milk from a dairy that treats their cows humanely.

No cow's milk here for us, and ds just recently weaned ( ) He just had mama milk for 33 months and nothing else except lots of water and an occasional cup of juice. Now that he is weaned I still don't give him cow's milk ( except in his cereal in the am) and that's it. I make sure to feed him a healthy, well balanced diet where all of his nutritional needs are met without giving him cow's milk because I believe that cow's milk is for baby cows not humans.

I had a ped who was a major cow's milk pusher, and I don't know if this applies to all cow's milk pushers, but for him the sole reason seemed to be concern that dd might not get enough vitamin D. In itself, this was a legitimate concern. Depending on where and how you live, your dc might not get enough at least in the winter without a supplement (or food that most of us don't eat). No need to get the supplement dissolved in cow's milk, though. (My dd, for example, horror of horrors, actually likes the taste of cod liver oil. EEEEEWWWWW. I try not to let on that I don't feel the same way.)

My ds will not get any cow's milk after he turns one. I don't see a need in supplementing if he's getting solids and breastmilk, sometimes juice or water. he's not into solids right now but I'm sure he'll be more interested by then.

My older two still don't drink cow's milk except in cereal and an occasional glass of chocolate milk. THey get their vitamin D from the sun and their calcium from other sources such as yogurt, cheese, fortified OJ and veggies. OUr family doctor asked me how much milk my dd drank and I told him very little because she's not a baby cow and he just laughed and moved on. We also only do organic milk and yogurt because of all the junk they give cows. I'm still trying to find organic cheese on my side of town.

I like to remind people of what mother cows go through to produce the nation's supply of milk. It is absolute torture. And we are drinking all the hormones pumped through their bodies so they'll overproduce. If I have time to dig up a link, I'll post it (or anyone else here please feel free). The only reason to drink milk regularly is to fill the pockets of the dairy industry. If you have to drink cows milk, at least drink organic hormone-free cow's milk from a dairy that treats their cows humanely.

We do buy organic hormone-free cow's milk (in the summer we actually go out to the farm to get it, too cold right now to want to visit). I do feel bad about this, but I'm mostly at a loss for another *easy* protein source for DD (who is texture sensative--- will not eat tofu, most beans, etc...).

Tired, have you tried almond butter? Even peanut butter is a good source of protein, but almond butter is .

Other ideas for tactile sensitives are: Split pea soup, refried beans, hummus, any kind of nut butter (creamy), silk tofu (great blended in a smoothie). I have found that even yogurt is more easily digested than plain cow's milk, though I'm not sure why. Brown Cow Farm makes an excellent organic yogurt. Stonyfield Farm makes a good one for kids too (though I have found it to be overly sweet).

Why give cow's milk when my ds is still bfing? He gets a little bit when he shares a bowl of cereal with me. It's organic, hormone free (everything he ets is organic, so my dh and I are mostly organic as well). He gets water and watered down juice (the juice is organic, no sugar added, and his only source of veggies and fruit at this time )

I don't think I will ever push milk on him. I have seen so many Moms add sweetners to milk to get their children to drink it. I see no reason for this, and even after he self-weans I probably will not gove him cow's milk to drink as a matter of course.

We do buy organic hormone-free cow's milk (in the summer we actually go out to the farm to get it, too cold right now to want to visit). I do feel bad about this, but I'm mostly at a loss for another *easy* protein source for DD (who is texture sensative--- will not eat tofu, most beans, etc...).

TIREDX2 :
I think you live in our area. Can you PLEASE share this farm that you are speaking of. I would love to find somewhere locally. My DH LOVES milk. I do not drink milk. And my older kids drink vanilla soy (my oldest actually prefers it to cows milk ) and youngest 18 months still bf'ing and loves watered down OJ & water

We go out to Cherry Valley Dairy in Duvall. They are no longer certified Organic (because of the fees associated) but have been in the past and haven't changed anything. You can get their milk at the dairy, or if is more convenient at Theo's Dairy on Redmond-Woodinville Road. They might sell it elsewhere, too, I just *know* those two places.